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Call out for volunteer monitors

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The 2017 Malleefowl monitor training dates have been announced. Sessions will be taking place in Kalgoorlie, Merredin, Dalwallinu and Ongerup over the next two months.

Malleefowl lay their eggs in huge mounds to incubate from heat of decomposing vegetation. They also heat soil in the sun and put it in the mound and can regularly move a tonne of soil in a day in the process.The chance of actually seeing a Malleefowl working the mound is a major (but definitely not guaranteed) draw card for volunteers.

Each year, the Malleefowl Recovery Team checks up on about 3500 Malleefowl mounds across Australia including 1350 in WA. Considering the mounds are located in some very remote spots, it represents a massive effort and is only possible with the help of hundreds of volunteers.

But before volunteers can head out into the bush, they have to be shown how to do the job. It involves using very modern equipment to GPS locate Malleefowl mounds and record a number of measurements. It also involves a lot of walking through bush. Our volunteers call it Bushwalking with a Purpose.

Liz Kington (WA Malleefowl Project Officer) is organising the training sessions that will be run by very experienced volunteer monitors from SA, Vic and WA. Liz said the sessions attract lots of people, mostly because Malleefowl are such amazing birds and people just love them.

On the serious side, the training ensures that monitoring is consistent across all states. The data is gathered and sent back to state coordinators (also volunteers) who upload it to a central database for analysis on how the species is going. This is a critical element in conserving this endangered bird.

To get involved in Malleefowl monitoring simply contact Liz Kington on 0417 996 719 or email at lizk@nationalmalleefowl.com.au.

The 2017 Malleefowl monitor training dates have been announced. Sessions will be taking place in Kingston SE as well as a number of places across the country over the next two months.

Malleefowl lay their eggs in huge mounds to incubate from heat of decomposing vegetation. They also heat soil in the sun and put it in the mound and can regularly move a tonne of soil in a day in the process.The chance of actually seeing a Malleefowl working the mound is a major (but definitely not guaranteed) draw card for volunteers.

Each year, the Malleefowl Recovery Team checks up on about 3500 Malleefowl mounds across Australia including 1350 in WA. Considering the mounds are located in some very remote spots, it represents a massive effort and is only possible with the help of hundreds of volunteers.

But before volunteers can head out into the bush, they have to be shown how to do the job. It involves using very modern equipment to GPS locate Malleefowl mounds and record a number of measurements. It also involves a lot of walking through bush. Our volunteers call it Bushwalking with a Purpose.

Vicki Natt (SE South Australia Malleefowl Project Officer) is organising the training sessions that will be run by very experienced volunteer monitors from SA and Vic. Vicki said the sessions attract lots of people, mostly because Malleefowl are such amazing birds and people just love them.

On the serious side, the training ensures that monitoring is consistent across all states. The data is gathered and sent back to state coordinators (also volunteers) who upload it to a central database for analysis on how the species is going. This is a critical element in conserving this endangered bird.

To get involved in Malleefowl monitoring simply contact Vicki Natt on 0428 673 273 or email at whynunga@activ8.net.au.

Astron Environmental Services have lent a vehicle to the National Recovery Group so they can carry out a monitoring project coming up in WA. This represents a huge saving for the National Team and will allow more of our funds to be targetted at our other projects. Many thanks go to Astron for their generous donation.

Preparations for this years Malleefowl monitor training are well under way. There will be plenty of opportunities for new volunteers to learn how to monitor Malleefowl mounds in WA, SA, Vic and NSW. Contact us to find where the nearest is to you.

In NSW the Riverina LLS and Western LLS have just approved funding for three Malleefowl monitoring training courses to go ahead. This August we will conduct training at Buronga, Mount Hope and West Wyalong thanks to the support from the two Local Land Services agencies.

Malleefowl have been added to the Federal Minister, Greg Hunt, and Threatened Species Commissioner, Gregory Andrews, list of just 20 birds for the 2020 threatened species strategy. See more at the press release LINK.

This is great news for Malleefowl as it will raise our profile across Australia.

National Malleefowl Recovery Team members Joe Benshemesh and Tim Burnard recently visited Kalgoorlie and Norseman for the first of eleven Malleefowl monitoring training sessions happening across Australia this spring.

A combined grant application to Gundawa from NCMPG, AWC and Bush Heritage has been approved. The grant will cover most of the costs for aerial LiDAR mound searches. An essential first step in Malleefowl monitoring.Gundawa have also sponsored the NCMPG to run this years training and monitoring.

The Adaptive Management (AM) Project has been running since 2012. It has progressed through several stages, and the AM team are excited with the latest progress, which takes us from a planning stage to an operational stage.

As the Malleefowl monitoring season draws to a close, our Coordinators are working away to get all of the data uploaded to the database ready for validation. Validation is where a few specialists comb over all the data and photos gathered to get rid of any mistakes.

With well over 2,000 mounds monitored it’s a big job! And all the more impressive as it is all done by volunteers.

I must brag that when Donna and I were monitoring this year we had special guests at our knock off drinks…..and, no the photo is not doctored!

Every year on the second weekend of October, the Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group (VMRG) hold a monitor training weekend at Wyperfeld National Park. The weekend is the group’s main event of the year and the ideal chance to hone up skills and catch up with friends.

The North Central Malleefowl Preservation Group has concluded a highly successful Malleefowl monitoring training weekend in Dalwallinu. With nearly 40 people attending, President Gordon McNeil said he was very thrilled with the outcome.

The National Malleefowl Forum (Dubbo 13-15 Sept) registration dates have been extended! With seats still available, the organising group decided to extend the registration date, but urge everyone to register as soon as possible.

The Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group will hold its annual Reporting Back Weekend on Saturday 5 April. One big topic for discussion will be the recent fires that destroyed so much Malleefowl habitat.

The National Malleefowl Recovery Team is seeking abstracts for the Fifth National Malleefowl Forum for both oral and poster presentations from individuals and community groups, academics, agencies and organisations involved in management and conservation of Malleefowl.

The National Malleefowl Recovery Team has announced the dates for the next National Malleefowl Forum as 12-15 September 2014. The Forum which attracts people from across Australia will be held in Dubbo

The North Central Mallee Fowl Preservation Group (NCMPG) has received a grant of $19,400 from the Gundawa Association to support its monitoring of Mallee Fowl activity in the area and the uploading of this information to the national database